Spirited Away Again
by Madame-SaucePan
Summary: I had always wondered what it'd be like if Miyazaki had made another Spirited Away. This my first fanfiction, so please excuse me if it sucks. The chapters are a bit short, but oh well.
1. Away

Chihiro was sitting at her desk, trying desperately to pay attention to the teacher. His monotonous voice was so boring it had over half the class nodding off. She stared at the clock. Was it broken or did time just stop? This teacher was her least favorite; he always made it seem as if time was slower. It was a good thing this was the last class of the day, or she would need a few energy drinks to be able to go through with other classes. Seeing that the bell was soon to ring she stopped taking her notes. Quietly and discreetly, Chihiro began putting her materials into her carrying bag.

"I'd appreciate it, Miss Orimahi," Chihiro jumped in her seat when she heard her name, "if you would wait for my class to end before putting away -"

RIINNGGG!!

Chihiro smiled, saved by the bell. She slung her bag onto her shoulder dashed out the door. She pushed her way through the packed corridors to the front of the school. Her friends were already there; she waved to them when they spotted her.

"Hey, Yumi," she smiled to the tallest one, "Hey Rika." She said to the other girl. They both returned her greeting.

"Are you two still able to come over Friday?" Rika asked as they crossed the road. Both of them still could. The three friends never stopped talking as they walked home together, but when they came to their neighborhood Chihiro became quiet. Her eyes kept straying to the road below that led into the woods. She could see the little shrines lined along the sides of it. It annoyed her that she couldn't stop looking at it. To anyone else that road would just be an unkempt dirt road leading to who knows where. But to Chihiro it was memories she wished would stay hidden.

It had been five years since she had last been in the spirit world. Five years. Sometimes she thought it was all a dream; sometimes she even wished it was a dream. But those times never lasted long. After all, how could a dream leave her missing someone so much? Chihiro thought about Kohaku (which she preferred calling him rather than The Kohaku River) and wondered if she ever _would_ see him again. He said she would, at least she thought he did. It was a long time ago. Back when she was flat-chested and still had temper tantrums.

"…don't you think so, Chihiro? Chihiro?" Rika looked curiously over at Chihiro, who was lost in thought. She had been thinking so deeply about the spirit world she had forgotten her friends. She managed to pull herself out of her daze and looked at Rika, "Huh?"

Rika rolled her eyes at her friend, "Honestly Chihiro, you always seem so strange when we go by here."

"I do? Sorry, what were saying?" She asked, though she hoped she wouldn't have to answer. She got her wish. Rika scowled, "Oh never mind."

--

Chihiro sat on the floor, leaning against Rika's bed. Yumi and Chihiro looked bored as they waited for Yumi to come back from wherever the hell she went off to.

"Ah-ha! Found it!" Rika cried from her kitchen. She ran back in with two bottles of sake and three cups.

Chihiro groaned. The last thing she wanted was for her and her friends to get drunk. "Oh come on! Are seriously going to drink that stuff?"

"Of course not," Rika winked at her, "We are going to drink this stuff. My dad always has a stash hidden, but it's so easy to find."

Rika took a seat on the floor, making a circle with Chihiro and Yumi. She set the cups down and poured a heavy dose of sake for each of them. Rika picked up her cup and drained it quickly. Yumi was more hesitant, but she drank hers. Chihiro didn't even pick up her cup."Drink it Chihiro. My parents aren't home, so we won't get caught!" Rika shook the cup of liquor at Chihiro.

"I think not…""Have you even had sake before? Just this one time, you gotta try everything at least once!"

Chihiro frowned and took a quick swig of it. It was surprisingly good.

--

Chihiro, Rika, and Yumi stumbled outside and walked down a hill to the road below. Rika was outright drunk. Her cheeks were flushed and she would burst out laughing at random moments. Yumi's cheeks did indeed have a blush, but she wasn't as drunk as Rika. Chihiro was the most sober of them all. She only had two cups of sake, too bad she couldn't hold her liquor very well.

They walked along a road that seemed like it hadn't been used in decades. Rika squatted next to a little shrine along the path. She poked inside and busted out laughing.

"It's so small! Hic! It's like a little house! Hahahaha!"

"Come on, now. You can laugh at those on -hic!- on our way back." Yumi got Rika stand up and continue walking.

At the end of the road was an old abandoned train station. At least it looked abandoned. All three of the drunken girls could hear a faint whistle of a train in the distance. But they all dismissed it as the alcohol talking. In the back of Chihiro's mind a voice was screaming at her to turn and run.

"Ok guys, let's go. We've seen enough." Chihiro grabbed the sleeves of her two friends and stumbled back. "Hic!"

"No, no! We must see what's in it." Yumi said and grabbed Chihiro's sleeve back. Rika followed suit and they both dragged poor unwilling Chihiro into the building. Rika fell on the ground on the other side of the building. Chihiro (who had forgotten that they shouldn't be there by now) helped her up, both of them laughing.

Yumi ran off and up some steps that were across a large group of rocks. Rika dragged Chihiro along and nearly fell as she jumped from one slippery rock to another. Chihiro leaped across a rock and landed on an unsteady rock. Her foot slipped from underneath her and she fell in a puddle of water. An instant later Rika, who had never let go of her, fell on her face.

Rika busted out laughing again and jumped away and to the steps. Lying on her back, it gave Chihiro a chance to see the darkening sky. She scrambled up and pointed back to the train station.

"Yumi, Rika! We've -hic!- got to get out of here!" She tried to pull them back again, but to no avail.

"Chi, you have got to have some fun once in a while!"

"I do have fun, but I just think this isn't the place to have -hic!- it."

The three teens walked into the mini town in awe, at least two of them were. Chihiro was mad at herself for letting her friends come to this place after dark. The spirits were already lighting the lamps!

"Give me that sake!- hic!" Chihiro grabbed the second bottle from Rika's hand and gulped it down. "Good for you Chi!" Rika laughed and ran down the street. Chihiro and Yumi followed her and helped her up when she fell again. Looking down the street she groaned when she saw where they were heading.


	2. To Granny's

It had recently rained by the looks of it. Chihiro remembered how it was when it rained last time she was here, and as they approached the bridge she was relieved to find it had poured that much again. There was just enough light to sea that the water was deep. Deep enough to jump in perhaps. "Ooo, Chi, Rika! Look, I think it's a bathhouse! I use a good -hic!- soak." Yumi wink her friends.The three girls walked across the bridge. _There is no way I'm going back to that bathhouse. _Chihiro thought, so when they were halfway across the bridge she caught Yumi and Rika by the elbows to stop them. "What's wrong now Chihiro?" Rika moaned and tried to tug away. Fortunately for Chihiro her drunken friend only stumbled.

"I thought I saw something near the -hic!- building." Chihiro leaned far over the railing of the bridge, causing her friends to do the same. Yumi brushed her hair from her eyes and leaned further. "What are you talking about? There's nothing there." She said and looked at Rika for confirmation."No, no!" Chihiro said quickly, "It's there. You just have to look closer." She climbed up on the railing, causing her friends to gasp.

"Chi, stop it! Come -hic!- back down!" Yumi whined and tugged at Chihiro's shirt. Chihiro swayed and cried at her, "Stop, or you'll make me fall off!" Yumi quickly stopped. Rika climbed up after Chi and pulled Yumi with. "I don't see anything down there -hic!-" Rika cried.The thought of the sight suddenly dawned on Chihiro. They must have looked hilarious! Three drunken teenaged girl trying to balance on a thin rail. This thought made Chihiro suddenly burst out laughing. The laugh was full of hiccups and an occasional snort. "Well, we'll just have to get a closer look!"Rika and Yumi's confused looks were quickly exchanged by surprised ones when Chihiro tightly gripped their hands and leaped off of the ledge and down to the water. "What the hell?!" Rika screamed, and Yumi - Yumi just screamed.A rush of ice cold water slapped at their faces and enveloped them in numbness. This shock quickly sobered them up.

Rika broke through the water first and as soon as Chihiro came back up she yelled again, "What the hell?!" Yumi had come up before Chihiro and looked at Chihiro angrily, "Yeah, what the heck did you do that for?"Chihiro faked a sheepish look a shrugged, "At least it got us sober, right?" Her two friends scowled at her. Another thought came to her, "And! Yumi, you did get a good soak!" She grinned at her tall friend, but Yumi just rolled her eyes and replied, "Oh, shut up. How are we supposed to get back up there?" Yumi jerked her head towards the bridge."Don't worry, just follow me. I've been here before." Chihiro swam off in the direction of the railroad tracks. Her dumbfounded friends swam after her. "You've _been here before?" Yumi asked, "_Why didn't you tell us?" Chihiro only shrugged. There was no use hiding it now, there in too deep. The only thing left to do was head to Swamp Bottom and wait out the night with Granny_._


	3. What do we do?

"Chi, where on earth are you going?" An exhausted Yumi whined from behind. Yumi and Rika both walked behind Chihiro as she went along the train tracks. She was glad when the train hadn't come by; which was strange because as far as she could remember everyone was more active at night. But then again when she took the train all those years ago it was in the light of the day.

"We're going somewhere safe, you'll see when we get there, ok? And please you two, don't freak out." She added, knowing what they were going see. When she said this Yumi became worried, "Why wouldn't we be safe? And why would we freak out?" Chihiro ignored her question and kept on walking.

Finally Chihiro saw a trail going away from the tracks and soon after that a light. "Yes!" she said quietly to herself, "Come on! Let's go!" Just as she began to run to the hopping light Chihihro heard a swooping sound behind her. It reminded her of a large bird snatching up its prey. Chihiro spun around just in time to see a giant bird-like thing swoop in and flew away with Yumi; this bird-like thing had a human head. More specifically, an old lady's.

"Yubaba! Bring her back!" she screamed after the old witch. "Damn it!" looked away from the sight and noticed Rika just staring after Yumi repeating, "What the hell, what the hell!"

The animated lamp arrived and was hopping up and down. Rika was too shocked by the giant 'bird' to say anything about this oddity. "Come on." Chihiro said and walked after the leading light. Not wanting to be left alone, Rika an after them.

"What about Yumi? How are we going to get her back?" Rika asked Chi worriedly. _Good question, I guess we'll get by with a little help from my friends_. Chihiro thought. "Don't worry," although there was plenty to be worried about, "I know some 'people' who can help." Rika quickened her step so she was alongside Chihiro, "Chi, you've _been_ here before?" She looked at her friend with her eyes wide with surprise.

"Yeah, when I was ten…I'll tell you about it later." Chihiro wasn't too keen on ever telling Rika that, so she hoped she wouldn't ask later.

The lamp reached its destination and stopped where it was. It jumped up on the arch above and wrapped itself around it. Chihiro ran through the entryway and up to the house. Rika stood still and watched the lamp to see if it would do anything. Satisfied that nothing would happen she quickly sprinted under it to where Chi was. "What is this place Chi?"

Chihiro couldn't hear any footsteps coming; she was getting anxious, "It's the home of Zeniba. She's a friend, she'll help us." She bounced anxiously on her heels and muttered, "Come on, granny answer the-" The door opened then and she cut off. "Omihgosh, Chihiro, w-what is that?!" Rika hid behind Chihiro and stared over her shoulder.

Looking back at them from the doorway was a ghostly creature with a masked face. Chihiro grinned back at it, "No Face, it's so good to see you!" Chihiro knew her looks had surely changed since he last saw her, but she knew he recognized her when the blank expression on the mask turned into a smile.

An old woman's voice came from inside the house, "Come now, No Face, bring our guests in so I can see who it is." Chi followed No Face inside, with Rika clinging to her shoulder. "Come on Granny, you don't remember me?" Chihiro asked when she saw Zeniba, who was working on her sewing. Zeniba looked up with a curious expression at Chihiro. That expression turned to alarm, "Chihiro?! Why did you come back?!"

Rika gaped at the witch as she stood up and hurried to Chihiro. The woman was enormous! Not extremely fat (she would have been fine with that), but this reminded her of when you took a picture on Photoshop and enlarged it. "Chi…"  
"I know Rika, don't stare." Chihiro muttered at her friend.  
Chihiro gave Granny a big hug and stepped back, "Hello, Granny. How've you been?"

Zeniba brushed the question away with a wave of her many-ringed hand. "I think a better question would be why are you back here? Do you _want_ to die? You've got to leave as soon as daylight comes!"

"I didn't mean to come, and we can't leave because Yubaba stole my friend - wait, what?" Chihiro looked at Zeniba confused as she realized what she said.

Zeniba nodded gravely, "I'm afraid my sister has been killing any humans that come across the river. Yubaba has spread her power further now and refers herself as the Queen of the spirit world."

Chihiro gaped at the old woman, "_What_?? How can she do this? When did this start?" This was horrible; surely someone was strong enough to oppose her.

"Three years ago. I spied on her with my paper men, she convinced herself to hate you when Kohaku left and she found a way to strengthen her magic. I'm surprised she didn't steal you away." Chihiro would've have wondered why she was flown off too, but, "Kohaku escaped the bath house?" Yes! That meant she'd be able to see him.

"Yes, but concentrate!" Zeniba snapped her fingers, "Are you still wearing that hair tie we made you?" Chihiro's hand went to the hair tie that was holding her pony-tail up. After five years it still hair it's shine. "Of course, Granny, I never use anything else."

Zeniba smiled, "Good, good." She said. "That works even in the human realm, you know."

"So what do we do about my friend, Yumi?" Chihiro asked, she now worried if the girl was even alive. "And what if Yubaba comes here?" She said in a panicked voice. Zeniba waved both her hands down to try to calm her down, "Don't worry, I've put a spell strong enough to keep her out." Chihiro opened her mouth to speak, but Zeniba knew was she was thinking and cut Chi off, "You see: Yubaba's magic only grew in offensive spells; as for me, I'm better with defensive spells."

"So what do we do?" The question came from a small voice behind Chihiro's back. Chihiro had forgotten all about Rika. "She poses a good point Zeniba, what do we do?"


	4. Chapter 4

Alright! Here's the thing! I know this story is bad! But give some credit, this is my first fanfiction I've ever written. And seeing as that is the case, I didn't want to delete it.

* * *

Rika and Chihiro were sitting in chairs, drinking tea as Zeniba told them what had happened since Chihiro left:Not long after Chihiro crossed the dried up river to the human world Kohaku left the bath house with the power of his name. Kohaku left to travel and study magic on his own.Two years later Yubaba rose in power and her ambitions became higher and higher. First she took over the village, then the surrounding villages, now she wishes to rule the entire spirit realm. When Kohaku heard of Yubaba's evil dictatorship he immediately flew to Zeniba's cottage.Kohaku started a team of rebels who can help fight about the evil witch and lives underground; the entrance located in this house."What?!" Chihiro jumped up, spilling her tea. "Kohaku has been here the whole time?" She cried out, "You've got to bring me to him!" Zeniba inspected her calmly, "Follow me dear." Zeniba got up from her comfy chair and led Chihiro to a small room; Rika came in trail behind her. She no longer looked afraid like she was earlier. "Done being freak out?" Chihiro asked Rika as they followed Zeniba down a luminous tunnel. "Oh no, I'm still freaked, but now I'm not afraid." Rika replied with a smile and a wink.--Zeniba had Chihiro and Rika stay in the first the room they came across. While the old woman left to fetch Haku, Rika sat herself on the ground and rested against the earthy wall.

_The author of this story stops and reviews her work. Realizing she doesn't like this very much she decides she does not want to finish it. "Screw it," she says, "Rocks fall and everybody dies!"_


	5. It's alive!

Alright fine!! You all wanted me to continue this story, so I will.And yes, it's short. But I was writing this at 3 in the morning and I couldn't think of much.

Oh, and I appreciate all of your comments.

* * *

Yubaba stood smugly in front of the tied up teenager. The witch approached the struggling girl, who was tied to a column in the room, and removed the spell keeping her mouth shut. The first thing to come out of her mouth was a loud shrill scream. "Help! Help! Somebody help me!!" Yumi whipped her head back and forth and screamed.

Yubaba frowned, "Oh shut up you shrill girl. No one will hear you here." Hearing that Yumi ceased screaming. She was terrified but she wasn't stupid. Wasting her breath wasn't going to help her right now. "What do you want from me?" She asked uneasily. Yubaba grinned maliciously, "I just need you as bait my dear girl."

"Bait? W-what do you mean?" Yumi and was practically shaking in her bindings. Yubaba scowled, "Stupid human, I'm using you lure Chihiro to me so I can eliminate her." Yumi gasped, she couldn't believe what she was hearing! "You want to kill Chihiro?! Why would you do that?"

"Because you insolent human, she lost me my apprentice and because of her by baby has left me." The giant witch glared at the wall as the thought of this; she noticed that the girl was about to say something so she made a motion as if she was zipping something closed and Yumi's mouth was sealed shut. Yubaba turned her back to the human and walked away.


	6. Kohaku

Yes, indeed, here's the next chapter. Hmm, haven't got much to say except that I hope you enjoy!

* * *

"Chihiro, I cannot believe you came back here, you must leave at once!"

"I can't! Yubaba kidnapped my friend, I have to save her." Chihiro was taken aback at Kohaku's anger. She thought he would be as happy to see her as she was to see him. "Look, can you just forget about why I'm here? I know I messed up, let's just focus on getting Yumi back"

"That's your friend's name?" He asked. Chi nodded and waited for what'd he say next. Kohaku paced back and forth angrily. Soon his creased brow of anger relaxed and raised into an expression of surprise. "This is it. This is the excuse we've been waiting for to attack!" A smile spread across his handsome face (yes, handsome. He was no longer in the appearance of a child, but looking the same age as Chihiro). The anxiety Chihiro felt lifted as his smile seemed to brighten up the 'room'. Then she realized what he said, "What do you mean?" In an instant Haku was beside her and taking her hand. "Don't you see Chihiro?" he pulled her along through the tunnels, "We couldn't just attack her, it's against the law-and the enforcers are very black and white about this- so we had to have an excuse to attack. With kidnapping we are able to infiltrate her fortress and take her down." Chihiro was surprised when they arrive at where he was taking her. When Zeniba had said he formed a team of rebels she had expected about ten people, but there was at least fifty spirits. She recognized a few frog spirits and other strange things, but most of them were in human form. "Haku…why do you need so many to stop Yubaba?" "Yubaba has many people working for her with exceptional talent." Haku explained while Chi was acutely aware he was still holding her hand, "This team we have are trained to hold them at bay while I deal with Yubaba." His eyes looked the side of Chihiro, "Your friend is running off."

Chihiro wirled around, "What?!" She expected to see Rika running away out through the tunnel, but didn't see anyone. "Not that way," Haku said with a smile and pointed into the crowd of spirits, "There." Chi looked and saw Rika obviously flirting with one of the human formed men. She smiled enchantingly at him and twirled a strand of her short hair around one finger. Despite the what was happening Chihiro couldn't help but laugh, "Rika always did make the best of any situation."

Haku let go of her hand and face the entire group, "Listen everyone! We've finally been given a chance to attack the witch! We'll be leaving for the attack tomorrow." Protest erupted immediatley, "Quiet!" Haku yelled, "I know you're all ready for this, you just have to believe it yourself." Haku turned to Chihiro, "I'm sorry I can't spend more time with you, but I must launch the preperations. You and your friend should wait in the cottage." Haku turned and walked away into the crowd.

Chihiro looked after him, "But-but.."

"Ah ah" The noise came from behind her. Chihiro turned around, "Hey, No Face. Come to show me back to the surface?" The masked face nodded. Chihiro called Rika that she was going, to her surprise she chose to stay. Chi followed No Face back to the cottage. It was nice to be back on the surface with the fresh air. Chihiro took a seat while No Face went to the kitchen to make her a cup of tea; she looked out a window hoping Yumi was ok.


End file.
